Waitrose incident.

[SensitiveSallySue]

I am not sure if I am being sensitive or if I should complain.

Every Sunday morning I go out for a coffee and read my book, then do the weekly shop without the children. I like to be back before midday so I can spend the rest of the time with my children, including 9 month old baby. We have every supermarket local to us, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, M&S, Asda, Tesco, and I always use the ‘scan and shop’ to make the shopping as quick and easy as possible. I’ve never had an issue until today in Waitrose. I’ve only used it a couple of times in Waitrose and never for a big shop.

After scanning my entire shop, strategically packing it so it’s easy to unload at home, I went to pay. When I beeped the scanner, it flagged up as needing to be checked. I thought that was fair enough, it happens sometimes, and I haven’t done a weekly shop in Waitrose before using the ‘scan and shop’ option. The worker came over and said she needed to rescan 30/58 items. I thought that was ridiculous, in every other shop they scan a random selection of a few items, not over half your shop. It seemed pointless to me to have even used the option in the first place, but I didn’t say anything and the worker started to empty shopping bags full to rescan items. This was taking ages, but I just stood patiently waiting for her to finish.

Then, she came across one that I apparently hadn’t scanned. I know I did, but it was a yellow sticker packet so I can only assume that it hadn’t registered properly. She repeatedly asked me if I had scanned it, and I repeatedly told her I had but it clearly hadn’t registered.

She told me she would need to rescan my entire shopping trolley, then took me over to a till, and I stood on the end whilst she unpacked every single one of my bags and scanned every item individually. It was completely unsubtle, in front of all of the other customers, and obvious that they were rescanning the entire shop in case I was attempting to steal things. I felt like an idiot and a thief. To make matters worse, I am a small business owner working with children, and had already bumped into several of my clients in the shop. I was absolutely mortified thinking that they may think I am a thief.

I was thoroughly embarrassed and teary eyed, and hastily shoved everything back into bags whilst the Waitrose worker apologised. Half of my shopping is crushed as I was shoving things back into the bags indiscriminately. I promptly paid and left but it has really upset me. By that point, I’d spent around 20 minutes having everything rescanned.

AIBU to think that if Waitrose are going to have a system that is open to abuse, they need to have a solution that doesn’t involve treating customers like thieves? I have never had an experience like this in any other store and whilst I realise they have to protect themselves from theft, surely this is not the correct way to go about. It’s not the Waitrose workers fault, it just seems like a very poor system and they shouldn’t offer ‘scan and shop’ if this is the way they treat customers.

I shop in Waitrose probably twice a week and always use the scan and go. Yes it pulls you out every so often and the number of items scanned is a proportion of how many you’ve bought. I see no issue with this at all of course they’re going to pull people for checks otherwise there’s no deterrent to people stealing!

Your problem is that you hadn’t scanned an item - if an item fails to scan for any reason ot makes a very distinctive sound and a says there was a problem on the handset. It really would be difficult not to notice.

As far as them rescanning your shop I don’t get what the problem was - they had identified one item you hadn’t scanned so needed to check the entire shop - surely that’s just common sense? The crushing of items is not their fault- you should have just taken time to repack carefully.

I genuinely don’t get what your complaint with Waitrose is. They have measures to prevent theft - you were found (whether intentionally or not) to have in scanned items in your basket and so needed to be rescanned - surely you can’t disagree with this?

I don’t get where the crushed shopping and tears came into it (or the coffee beforehand tbh).

I think maybe the moral of the story is always make sure you scan everything properly and if you aren’t happy to have your shop checked then go through a manned checkout.

We stopped using the scan and pack because we were stopped more often than not. Once the assistant also had to rescan the whole shop but we ended up being less than the original tally! I don’t think the assistant did anything wrong. They don’t know who you are and don’t know if you are a shoplifter or not. This is their process and everyone would be treated the same.

Clearly, on this occasion, albeit by accident, she wasn’t trustworthy so it’s correct the store rechecked all her shopping. Just because they are using this technology doesn’t mean they ‘trust’ anyone. Checks are part of us all paying less!

This
it’s a known issue with using that system- which is why I don’t bother.

Every shopping scanner I have used it is extremely easy to determine if an item has scanned or not. There is an audible beep and the item shows on the screen.

OP you are conflating two things. You might have pressed the button but you did not scan it.

@SensitiveSallySue my personal rule now is that I only do a self-scan for fewer than about 10 items. When it's a small shop, I want to be in and out asap, if I'm doing a big shop, I only do it when I know I have time.

once a shop gets to trolley-size proportions, the likelihood increases of a scan failing, getting distracted and an item not scanning, a yellow barcode not getting picked up etc. It just isn't worth it, so I pass the responsibility to the cashier and de-risk it for myself.

Ive had a few rescans since all this nonsense began and I've only had a problem once in all that time, a pack of Nescafé cappuccino hadn't scanned. I just looked at the assistant and said ooops sorry about that and she didn't bat an eyelid. It happens, they don't immediately think thief, especially if you engage with the process, talk nicely to the assistant and at the end say thanks very much that's great. It makes the whole thing a lot less painful.

The yellow stickers register just fine - and if an item doesn’t scan for whatever reason it makes a loud noise and says there was a problem on the handset so you would have noticed.

Also re why didn’t you get taken to a till? Two reasons I imagine - 1) it’s a deterrent to other people not scanning all items and most probably 2) the staff member had already started the process with you and so needed to resolve it.

I genuinely think you’ve created a problem where there was none.

This happened to me the very first time I used one of those scanners🤣 I couldn't believe the drama I was put through. I didn't feel embarrassed, I just thought what an utterly ridiculous process it was. I haven't used it since, as I can't be bothered dealing with utter nonsense of it.

Send an email to Waitrose telling them all about it. I would.

It happened to me in Tesco except I had scanned everything correctly. They also wanted to scan a high percentage of the items I bought. Yes I felt awkward and it was a waste of time but the staff were nice and apologetic and we just got on with it.

If you read the OP post carefully.... she thinks people are going to assume she's a thief !

Not really as that shop assistant can't leave the self scan tills. You would also need to wait for all the customers in front of you and they will need to stay with you in case you were trying to offload nicked goods.

If you were made to queue, it would slow things up even more. The idea of self scan is for the shop to be speedy. I have had this happen to me and it was explained that opening a till and putting the shop through this separate till makes the process faster.

Ultimately, reducing loss through theft benefits everyone. More theft = higher prices.

I work in a supermarket with scan and go and the reason it needs to be done through the handset during a full rescan is so tracks how many items you haven't scanned we then fill out a form so security can go back over it and get your photo of the cameras as one to watch it also means it's logged so if it happens to often you get either blocked from using scan and go or banned from the store. Also just for your Information i would say the majority of customers who get caught stealing on scan and go are middle aged white women. Nhs staff especially their the worst. Shoplifters are not the people you expect

I’m guessing they have so many people stealing stuff, and not scanning things through, that they can’t identify who is or isn’t deliberately missing things when scanning. They have to treat everyone the same. They’re not detectives, so have to just have a blanket rule for all.

This was a MINOR inconvenience to you at the very most. Please thank your lucky stars that’s the worst thing to happen to you today.

I stopped using scan and shop as every time I got stopped! It took longer than just scanning it all. I didn't get embarrassed though - just irritated. I think you are a bit over dramatic Op x

Your opinion though re the majority of shoplifters are white middle aged women? If you do look at the statistics (which are fact rather than opinion), it’s a different story.

Tbf she said the majority of people caught on scan and go - not the majority of shop lifters.

But she chose to scan it herself, which then makes it her job, I always go through the checkout which is their job then to scan it. Silly people are taking on the work of the supermarket assistant by scanning things theirselves.

Wow, you're not special because you have a baby at home so what's up with the pointless background information?

Scanning 30 things does sound a lot . I’m going through a phase of Sainsburies often doing re scans on me and it’s always 16 items . I’m sorry you were upset and I do get why but please put it out of your mind and move on as overthinking about it isn’t going to change anything . You know you didn’t intentionally fail to scan the item . Just try and be more aware of the beep if something doesn’t scan next time .

I had a similar incident in asda. Thought scan and go would be easier, the devise stopped working when I had 2 items left to scan. Went to the machine tried to flag staff but it was very busy, lead up to xmas, and decided I could scan on the machine. Well one of those need to check your items came up. They were so suspicious and ending up rescanning my whole shop. Genuinely came across that they thought I was trying to get away with not paying for some items. It was embarrassing, a terrible shopping exprerience and a complete waste of time. I don't use scan and go now.

Through scan and go alone yes I see it every day. Yes their not the ones shoving a bottle of whisky down their trousers or doing a trolley dash. But purposely not scanning 6 or 7 items at the bottom of their trolley very very common but these are the ones that aren't in statistics as when their caught they usually know they can't get away with it as they will be checked everytime

What a dumb comment. but that was the workers job to check people have scanned every item when it says to do a random check. It’s literally her job. It’s madness to call her anal and saying she “doesn’t have enough to do”. She was doing her job, you know the thing she’s paid for. She can’t be too busy at work to do her fucking job! If she doesn’t do her job, then she won’t get paid and her mortgage/rent won’t get paid and she won’t be able to eat. Why would she risk that by not doing her job!!!

The staff member has to follow protocol with regards the self scan bit, she wasn't having a go at you, don't feel bad.